


Goats Make Terrible Parents

by sal_amander



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Good Petunia for like a minute?, Harry Potter was Adopted by Other(s), Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), Lucio is less of a bitch than he could have been, who let him adopt this child??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-06-29 17:53:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19835482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sal_amander/pseuds/sal_amander
Summary: It was, of course, an accident. Really. Harry had just wanted to know what happened, and now he’s found something he probably shouldn’t have. But maybe, it’ll be good for him.Or,The Count, not quite dead, finds a child hiding in his ashy quarters and absolutely terrified- but not of him. Of course, as his only source of attention, he follows him around. If he ends up practically adopting him? Well, he’ll deal with that later.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up, timeline is changed up a bit, and instead of three years alone, it’s four. Technically. You’ll see what I mean.

Harry woke to pounding on the cupboard door, as usual, and to his aunt’s hurried knocking. “Hurry up Harry, Vernon really isn’t in a good mood. I need you to come to the store with me.”

Harry sat up quickly, narrowly missing the beam above his head. 

‘I need you to come to the store with me’

It’s something Perunia said very rarely, only when they needed to escape quickly.

Pack your good clothes, the ones Vernon doesn’t know about, and anything you’d need.

They’d be gone for a few days.

He always had his bag packed, after the second time of doing this.

Always.

“I’m all ready, Auntie.”

The door clicked open, and sunlight streamed through. He could hear Dudley and Vernon out back, talking in hushed but harsh voices.

“Good, come along now.”

He nodded, slipping his bag on and trailing after his aunt to the door. He’d get to change there, or at a rest stop going into London, or maybe the countryside. It was new each time.

Before they could leave though, the back door slapped open with a bang, and the two men- well, man and boy walked in.

Harry clenched his teeth.

“Ah, pet, there you are. I thought lunch was going to be ready?”

It sounded sweet maybe, but the tone was sickly and undertoned with a threat.

“Yes dear, I- we needed more ingredients, so I was- was going to pick up some with H- the boy.”

Vernon didn’t catch the last slip, but he was angry nonetheless.

“Like you did last month? Or the two before that?! Gone for DAYS with that FREAK?!”

Petunia flinched. “I-I”

Vernon sneered. “I will not have it.” He hissed. His hands wandered to the golfing bag and grabbed a nine iron, gripping it tightly. 

“Get away from him, pet.”

Petunias eyes widened, as did Harry’s next to her. He heard his intake of breath and faint whimper, and he hardened with resolve.

“No.”

Vernon spluttered. “I-Excuse me?!”

“I will not let you harm this five year old, Vernon, so help me god. I won’t let you hurt my boy.”

Vernon’s eyes darkened. “You.. you’re not Petunia.”

The grip on the club tightened.

“I- Vernon what-“

He readied his swing, and she turned to harry quickly.

“Harry, baby, run-“

There was a sickening crunch as the club struck her head, splattering blood and gore across the room, and Harry.

His aunt crumpled, and Vernon seemed shocked, panting.

Harry twisted the doorknob and ran.

Vernon seemed to snap out of whatever held him and turned to a trembling Dudley with a sneer. “Go after him, I need to clean up.”

Vernon’s eyes flashed at Dudley’s hesitance, and he started nodding quickly, chasing Harry through the suburbs.

Harry’s feet pounded on the concrete, cousin not too far behind. His breath came out in a ragged hiss as he rounded the corner, grabbing the brick wall to turn easier, and inadvertently scraping his hand.

He winced, clenching his fist together and causing small droplets of red to fall, but he did not slow.

Blood in his hair splattered walls as he turned his head every which way to keep an eye on his cousin. 

Doing so, he ran right into a dead end, through a broken window, and into an old abandoned house.

There were symbols and dusty, unlit candles everywhere, and he seemed to be sitting inside a circle.

He didn’t much notice though, not when he could see Dudley’s form in the ally.

He whimpered, and that was all it took for Dudley to find him, cutting himself on the sharp glass around him as he pulled himself through the window.

What Harry didn’t expect, though, was his cousins eyes to be red with tears, and hiccuping.

“Har- Harry..”

Dudley was shaking.

“Harry- please- what do I…”

Harry was five.

Dudley was six.

They were too young for this absolute bullshit.

Harry’s eyes floundered, biting his lip. “Police- they, they take care of this, right?”

His cousin nodded, eyes widening.

Harry finally caught sight of what was around them, and the feel in the air- as well as some sort of compulsion. 

He looked down at the ground, head swirling about the stories his auntie had told him.

“Magic…”

Dudley’s head snapped up.

“Wh- what?”

Harry frowned, his head getting foggier by the minute. “I- I gotta…”

He didn’t know what he had to do, or why he felt like he needed to do it. Did it. 

He was five, after all.

He smeared some of petunias blood inside the circle, and some of his own. 

“Blood given, blood owned, and blood…sacrificed.”

His head swirled fogging and sleepily, turning to Dudley. “Can you…”

He yanked a shard of glass out of Dudley’s leg, causing him to yelp.

Dudley watched, frightened, as Harry flicked the blood on the glass into the circle.

Harry turned to Dudley, barley comprehending what was going on. 

His scar hurt though. It was hot with pain.

“Go… police and Vernon… Bye for now?”

The words slurred, and he slumped back, unconscious in the circle.

Runes started to glow sickly red and follow patches carved into the floor, and candles flickered to life on their own.

The inside of the circle shimmered, and Harry fell through it, as if it were a hole, onto cobblestone.

The lights cut off abruptly, and the ‘hole’ closed, leaving Dudley to scream, and run to the police station as fast as he could run with glass imbedded in himself.

It would be years before he saw Harry again.

……….

Harry woke to someone patting his face- in an effort to wake him up without hurting him, as he used to do to his auntie.

Oh.

He whimpered, and the hand drew back quickly. 

“I- are you awake?” The voice was deep, but not low, and had a roll to it.

Harry opened his eyes slowly, and shrieked when he saw what was in front of him. 

A tall person with curly, dark red hair black and red clothes, and a large white bird mask with red glass eye panels.

Right in his face.

Fucking terrifying.

The man backed up quickly, throwing his arms up. “Hey, hey calm down- I’m a doctor alright? Calm down kid.”

Harry blinked slowly, and wiped a hand across his eyes.

They name back with flakey dried blood.

“Kid- kid, I don’t know what happened, but you really shouldn’t be out right now.”

“I- why?”

The man seemed to intake a breath with surprise.

“The plague going around- fuck, just.. where are your parents, kid?”

“Dead.”

The simple word took the doctor aback, and he eyed the dried blood coating the boy.

“Right, sorry. Well- come on. We have to go.”

Harry followed the man closely, thankful he still had his bag with him.

He strode up dozens of steps, and took a loud turn, reaching a small, but nice looking house.

It was right by the sea.

The man took his mask off once inside, and Harry finally got to see his face, cataloguing it quickly.

The man shrugged of his coat, hung it on a chair, and turned to Harry with a flourish.

“Well, I suppose I should Introduce myself. I’m Julian Devorak, doctor, and am currently researching the plague going around.”

Harry nodded slowly, shying at the Doctor’s inquisitive face. “Um, I’m Harry Potter, um, kid, and uh… I can do this?”

He flicked one of Julian’s candela on, remembering what happened yesterday- today? 

He wasn’t quite sure, but he knew something was different about where he was now.

Or maybe, when.

The fogginess was at the edges of his mind, but he brushed it away quickly. 

A pain in his scar went away with it, though he didn’t notice till it was gone.

“Oh my, a Witch? Wonderful!” Julian clasped his hands. “I have a.. friend who’s one as well, I should introduce you two…”

Harry blinked.

Julian quieted. “Right. Um, do you have somewhere to go? So I can drop you off?”

Harry winced, and Julian backtracked. “Right- Right, sorry. Well, I have a guest bedroom?”

Harry looked down at the floor, chewing his lip. “I- thank you.”

Julian smiled, “of course, kid.”

Julian gestured to the hall. “First door is the bathroom, second it your room? And the last is mine. I’m guessing you want to clean yourself up?”

Harry nodded, and scurried over to the bathroom, clicking the lock behind him.

Instead of the shower he was used to, it was a basin filled in what looked like preparation for Julian to get home, probably. It was cold, though, but as soon as he thought that, his hands glowed and the temperature rose to a warm but not too hot degree.

He stared at his hands in confusion. His magic usually didn’t cater to his every whim like just now.

He turned to the shelf, and tried levitating a bar of soap and rag. 

The two zoomed over, smacking him in the face.

“Oh…”

Maybe… wherever- ‘whenever’ the fog interrupted. Whenever he was then, it had more magic?

Harry clicked his tongue, turning to the basin. He’d test it later, he needed to get the… blood off.

It was maybe ten minutes later when he exited the bathroom, draining the basin and using a towel to scruff at his hair and dry it.

Julian seemed to be cooking something, so he walked over to the kitchen, observing. 

“Oh, I’d expected you to be longer. Well, since your out now, what do you want to drink? Water, juice, we have a few types- I think…”

Julian’s voice trailed off as he pulled the large pot to the side, and pulled out a loaf of bread, cutting off a few slices.

“Um, water is fine.”

Julian nodded quietly, pulling out two cups and filling them, setting them on the small table nearby. Go ahead and sit down, I’ll make the bowls. How much bread do you want?

Harry looked up a bit confused, but saw Julian labeling out stew into two bowls. 

“I- um, one, please.”

Julian nodded with a hum, and dishes out the food, sliding into his own chair.

Harry quickly followed the example, and they found themselves eating in silence.

Julian was the first to speak.

“So, uh, kid, I’ll have to ask a few questions, but you don’t have to answer, alright? Just who you are and stuff.”

Harry nodded.

“Harry isn’t a common name here, is it a nickname? Or are you from somewhere else?”

Harry blinked. “Uhm, both? My… they said that Harold was my actual name, but Harry is what I’m used to… um.”

Harry’s eyes shifted to his bowl. “I’m not exactly sure what where I’m from is called though…”

Julian hummed, nodding.

“Alright. Well, would you want to visit someone tomorrow? I do need to check a few things if you want to stay here.”

He wrung his hands. “I- ok.”

Julian looked almost surprised at how easy it was to convince you.

“Well then, alright. You should probably go to sleep soon though, yeah?”

Harry nodded slowly. 

“Alright, go ahead then, I’ll get the dishes.” He added the last part after seeing Harry start towards the sink.

Harry blinked, but did as told, smiling and heading to sleep.

Sleep didn’t come to him though, the fog did.

It seemed strong here, and his scar hurt. But he didn’t wake up.

He didn’t wake up much at all.

It had Julian split his time to watching the boy’s fitful not-sleep, and work at the plague.

He’d scream at times, and black gunk would leak out of his forehead. Julian would swipe it off quickly.

And then one night, Julian stopped coming. 

And the next night.

And the next.

And the next.

And-

And Harry woke silently and alone, a black tar-like substance dripping from his forehead. He wiped it off, and on the foot of his bed was a mask.

A white, plague doctor mask, with two red glass panels for eyes. 

Surrounding it were letters and papers, in order. What happened while he was out- a month and a half worth of letters- one a day.

The last letter said what happened that night, and why he had left.

Harry screamed, no fogginess in his head left.

Harry has cried, clutching that mask, and wishing he had woken up sooner.


	2. IMPORTANT- PLEASE READ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please read this message! It’s kinda important, and about this fic.

NOT AN UPDATE! This is a kinda important message tho ^^’

Aight, so. This fic.

I did this when I was super sleep deprived and binging The Arcana content. In hind sight, I can’t really work on *this* specific fic.

Also, it was written like, hella poorly.

However, I did kinda like some concepts in it. So, I’ll be writing a fic that’s similar in set up, but it sure as heeellll ain’t gonna be the goatman. I just don’t think I can write much off him alone.

I have some ideas, and won’t spoil a lot, but here’s what I’m planning.

You’ve probably heard of the non-romance au’s where MC is a kid and is practically adopted by the cast (or a route or w/e) you know, like instead of a significant other, you get a parent figure?

You know the one.

I might do something like that, with Harry in place of the MC.

I’m still writing it, currently. I’ll delete this fic and message after I post the first chapter of the other.

I guess, keep watch for that, and yeah! Sorry ^^’

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that it was alright, R&R?


End file.
